New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-06-29
PROGRESS OF THE LABOR STRUGGLE.


Workingmen do not deny that the recent
events have seriously impaired the influence Of
their organization. Tho contests in the knights
Of Labor, the hostility to Mr.. Powdery. the
revolution in District No. 40, and the larger
contest between the Knights OF Labor and the
labor unions. hayo lcssened the confidence Of
the workers in their leaders and made il clear
to the public that no organization as yet repre-
scnts the working people or their interests.
Then the disastrous defeats OF the Knights Of
Labor in the Chicago and the Massachusetts,
struggles have done much to loosen the al
cgiance Of the workers to tlcir organizations.
The importance Of these two defeats can
hardly 10 overcStimated.
The struggle for " free shops In Massachn-
sets began in various demands by knights Of
Labor TO which employers refused to submit.
As these demands became more extreme and
threatening. the manufacturers Of many towns
finally associated themselves in an agreement
not to employ any but free worknen, who
were willing to ac: without the dictation Of
any organization. This declaration the Knights
of Labor stubborDly resisted, but the long and
costly struggle ends in their acknowledged de-
feat. Great suffering already exists among the
workingmen who have lost their work, for most
Of the shops had nearly or quite filed all
places by the employment Of new men before
The strike had ceased In Brookiich, where
3 900 workers went out, and the operatives
offered last week 10 go back at the employers
terms. they found that every place had been
filled that the non union men would not be
replaced. and that several hundred apphca-
tions for placcs were on file ahead of them.
THE Labor Leader journal in the interests
of organized labor edited by Mr.. Frank NJ.
Foster, says:
A stunning blow has been dealt the present form
OF isyoP organization within tho domain Of the nine
teen auocrats OF the Manufacturers association II
Is much to expect men to support an organization
which cannot maintain the right OF existence for Its
branches . What Worcester County capitalists
have done, others can and probably will do. While
the principle Of organization Is as sound as ever Its
practical accomplishment has received bad set back
"The Leader finds tho main for the
collapse of the strike First the unwingncss Of the
rank and file Of the knights Of Labor to spare tho
pennies to buy bread for their hungry brothers, and
second the army OF the unorganlzed, these being in
this case those who through Castle Garden
but Americans born and bred, from backwoods villages
and farms.
1t is important to have in mind this PC
culiarity Of the struggle, that the unemployed
who gladly accepted work at the terms offered
by tho manufacturers, and who were willing
to engage as free workmcn, but had not been
willing to bind themselves in sub lection to any
organization, wcro not imported foreigners.
but Americans born and bred from country
villages and farms. A single fact tells the
story the census Of 1880 shows that there were
1909 shocmakcrs in the country, while Mr..
Fosters official account of the shoemakcrs'
organization in "The Labor Movement does
not claim that more than 10000 at any time
havo been enrolled in an organization. Four
fifths Of the men, and those mainly Americans
born and bred-not the worst worlSmen-havc
all the time refused to surrender their free
dom TO any organization.
The builders and bricklaycrs' strike at Chi
cago was of similar character. The working
mems organization had steadily enlarged their
demands, until the employers organized with
declaration closely akin to that Of the "frco
shop manufacturers of Massachusetts, Tho
struggle has lasted long, and Chicago journal
estimates the loss of wages to the strikers
themselves at not less than 81 25O, 900, while
the loss to all wOrkmen is believed 10 have
been twice as great. In this case, too the
places Of the strikers were steadily filed by
the arrival of competent free worikmen from
many directions. The masons of the United
States numbered 1O2, AIS at the census of 1880
the stone-cutters 32.S42, the plasterers 2Os3.
and the carpenters 373,l43, and but a small
fraction of these have ever been induced to
surrender their frcYdom to any organization
The prospect that the building trades can be
brought under the dctation Of a central or
ganization is therefore remote. The causes Of
these failures will be traced by the thoughtful
observer to feature which, curiously enough,